Whispers from the people were louder than ever. Of course, it was only natural if only about twenty soldiers had returned, even thought sixty were sent to battle. And the whispers gradually became darker with speculations of what happened.
Natsu hated it all. Gray had gotten stabbed in the shoulder and had to be bandaged, so Natsu decided to head to his small cottage, looking around cautiously to make sure nobody was following him.
He slowly approached the cottage and stopped at the door, knocking twice before halting, watching as the front door slowly creaked open.
His eyes widened, a panicked wave washing over him as he burst inside, only to see the blonde calmly reading a papyrus scroll in an old wooden chair. Her chocolate brown eyes looked up to see him, a smile spreading across her face. "You're back, I see."
Natsu let out an uneasy sigh, letting his tensed shoulders relax. "I thought something happened to you."
The blonde chuckled softly, standing from the chair and walking over to him. Her eyes shined in worry. "Apparently the emperor imprisoned more soldiers for trying to elope. That makes a total of about ten now."
Natsu placed his hands on the sides of her neck and her cheeks. "Stop worrying, Lucille. Saint Valentine will marry us, and we don't have to worry anymore. That damned emperor won't win."
She let her forehead rest against his as her eyes slowly closed, her hands cupping his. "I was worried you wouldn't come back."
"I will always come back to you, Lucy."
The blonde pulled away as she frowned lightly. "I told you to stop calling me that strange name. You know my name is Lucille, so why do you feel the need to say a different name?"
Natsu chuckled, gently kissing the top of her head. "Never mind that."
"You need to bathe, Natsu." Lucille pulled away from the pink haired man completely, grabbing his hand and leading him to a large wooden tub with clean water in it.
"It would be nicer if we went to the thermae," Natsu grunted as he began taking off his armor.
"Going in public is not a smart idea. You and I both know that," Her voice echoed in the silence, her fingers trailing along his now bare backside. Natsu turned his head to see her delicate face. Lucille looked up at him, a small tear rolling down her cheek.
Natsu frowned, fully turning to face her. "What's wrong?"
"I hate how you were forced to join the centuria," She murmured, her fingers trailing down his jaw and stopping at his collarbone.
"I know," He whispered, one hand cupping her cheek as his lips pressed against hers. "But I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere."
Lucille suddenly pulled away before Natsu could kiss her once more. She frowned again, staring at him. "Natsu...is the blood on your face yours?"
Natsu's fingers grazed over his cheek, remembering the battle from before. He shook his head, watching his blonde beauty let out a soft sigh in relief.
"You should get cleaned up first," Lucille said. She took a rag hanging from the tub and soaked it in water, laying it on top of Natsu's head. She giggled as the pink haired man frowned, taking the rag off of his head.
A grin spread across his face as he winded the towel up, whipping it so it hit her backside. The blonde yelped in surprise as she turned to glare at him. "Natsu!"
He laughed, winding the towel up again and whipping it against her face, the water splashing her. She squealed as he picked her up by the waist, holding her over the tub of water. Natsu leaned closer to her face as he murmured, "Could you help me?"
Lucille, still astonished at how fast his attitude changed from playful to serious, was breathing hard as her eyes looked into his. She smiled slightly. "Of course."
Natsu slowly put her down, taking off the rest of his armor and clothing under, going into the tub. Lucille helped wipe his face clean, as well as his upper body, but left the rest to him as she went to go get him some clean clothes.
"Why do you not like it when I call you Lucy?" Natsu asked curiously as the blonde came back.
"Well, I feel as if you say the name of some other woman, like you love her and not me," She shrugged, putting the clothes on a stool.
Natsu chuckled. "But you and I both know that is not true."
"Still..." Lucille trailed off.
Natsu leaned out of the tub and kissed her gently. "I love you and no one else, Lucille."
The blonde smiled warmly, putting the damp rag on top of his head again. "I love you, Natsu."
Lucille stood up and laughed as Natsu grumbled about the wet rag. She headed over to where she left the papyrus scroll she was reading earlier.
Moments later, Natsu, now wearing his dark red tunic that Lucille had gotten for him came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her body, kissing the crook of her neck. "What are you reading, love?"
The blonde hummed, her head slowly tilted down to the left as she let the papyrus roll up. "Just more rumors about the emperor...Natsu, stop that."
"Stop what?" He continued kissing her neck before spinning her around, his lips claiming hers, stopping her from protesting.
The papyrus scroll in her hands slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor. She put her hands on his chest, hesitantly pushing him away with a smile. "You know what."
He sighed, releasing his blonde beauty from his grasp, picking up the papyrus scroll up from the floor to read for himself. He frowned. "Just how many people believe in this sorcery rumor?"
"The whole village," Lucille said. "The emperor seems to be getting ill despite what he says."
"What happens to that damn emperor is none of my concern." Natsu's tone grew softer. "Saint Valentine agreed to get us married tonight."
Lucille smiled warmly. "Thank goodness. I don't know how much longer I'd be able to stay here, hidden."
Natsu's laugh was cut short as there was a knock at the door. He and the blonde exchanged a stern look before he said quietly, "Hide."
With a nod, Lucille headed off as Natsu went to open the door. His serious look faded as he came face to face with a raven haired man, his shoulder wrapped around in secure bandages.
"Gray, it's just you." Natsu said in relief. "I thought someone had-" His eyes instantly caught the flash of worry glinting in Gray's eyes.
"The emperor has requested to see you."
